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khp

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Posts posted by khp

  2. What Electronics Are You Guys Running?

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    I have a PC3USB on my roadbike (R1 2003). I used to have an Akropovic Ti slip-on, but I grew old,boring and found the extra noise irritating so I've taken it off again. I downloaded a 'standard' map from the website, and installed it myself. Work very well, no noticeable flats or anything. But I had the workshop (Lydmuren MC) I use give it a spin on the bench. The owner (who's quite good at tuning in PC's, although not an official dynojetter) adjusted the jetting below 40% throttle (IIRC he added a bit of fuel) - above the 40%, the jetting was spot on. When riding the bike afterwards, I noticed that the feeling of the throttle crack-on was even better than before :)

    My only downside with the PC3 is the fact that it will drain the battery in less than 2 weeks, so either I have to ride the bike at least once a week, or I have to put a maintenance charger on the battery. My guess is that there's something wrong with the particular PC3USB, since I've never heard of other PC3USBs doing the same.

     

    On my R6 2008 racebike, I replaced the PC3USB (sorry Timmer) with the official YEC kitbox and wiring loom. The YEC kitbox's matrix for adjusting the fuel is more coarse in the RPM scale than a PC3, so some people stack the kitbox AND the PC3. However, the YEC kitbox gives you 2 fuel maps, advance/retard ignition, cutting ignition for quick shifting, and a host of other stuff I've forgotten. It seriously reprograms the display (e.g. you get temp instead of speed), and one thing that annoys me is that it no longer turns on the neutral lamp. There's a switch on the left handlebar for selecting maps on-the-run, which is really nice for testing out map changes. For example, the bike felt a little jerky getting on the gas (too lean), so I gave it a bit more fuel in the bottom in map 2, checked it out in the next session, and copied the setting into map 1 once I was happy with the change.

    I've added a Cordona strain-gauge GP quickshifter which turned out to be 100% plug-and-play (it plugs into the YEC harness and signals the kitbox). Biggest problem was that it took me some time to stop blipping the throttle when I wanted to change gears :D

     

     

    Kai

  3. Staff Nicknames

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Trying to revive an old thread (there might be more nicknames on the way after the trip to India)

     

    So ... why is Hotfoot called Hotfoot?

     

    I'm not sure if this is well known outside the US, but there is an old prank called a "Hotfoot" where you would stick the end of a match in the edge of someone's shoe, and light it, with the idea that when it burned to the end it would sting their foot and make them jump. It has also evolved to mean "go fast" as in "you better hot-foot it on down to the store before they close!"

    Yeah, hotfoot is probably not well known outside the US - I guess it goes along with "riding shotgun" (I had to have it explained some years ago while visiting potential customers in south-eastern US).

     

    Wow, quite a story - and much more than I expected - behind that nickname. I sure hope the windshield was made of plastic and not glass. Glass only melts at around 700 degrees C, which is seriously hot (1300F)!

    And hey, you really get to do the fun things, eh :D

     

    Kai

  5. Two Fingers On The Brake

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    I can see why MSF, which is about safety, suggest using all four fingers as it eliminates the risk of trapping any spare fingers between lever and grip should the lever for some reason come back too far.

     

    Having taught an MSF-like course for 7 years in Denmark (and much of our curriculum comes from the UK), I can add some arguments to the discussion.

    The argument is as quite simple: when you're on the road, and something unexpected happens and you need to make an emergency stop, you will use all four fingers. You simply grab the handful. Believe me, I've done it, even though I had been using 2 fingers consistently on the road and track for more than a decade, when suddenly this happened to me - yup, here we go; all four fingers! Now, the good R1 will do perfect rolling stoppies with two fingers (haven't tried 1 finger), but the good news is that you don't get any appreciably harder braking when using 4 fingers vs 2 fingers.

     

    For sure there isn't a one size fits all on the braking, but having ridden big Harleys that did not have top quality brakes, 4 fingers was needed.

    At one of our courses, we had a couple of Harley riders and they openly admitted that the standard brakes were ###### and you simply replaced them with 3rd party stuff as soon as you took the bike in possession. :blink:

     

    Kai

  7. Talent Or Practice ?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    Malcom Gladwell did a very good bit of research on this type of topic ("Tipping Point") Here's a short article on that part of the book: http://www.dailymail...m-Gladwell.html

     

    His conclusion was that there is no such thing as a natural born maestro. By his reckoning, anyone considered as such had put in at least 10,000 hours of hard work BEFORE they were regarded as such (Chess, Software, Pianist, Hockey, etc) I suspect he is right and that there is no difference when it comes to motorcycle racing. You need a good bit of natural ability/talent AND the passion and luck to be able to devote a boatload of time to refining it.

    While Gladwell definitely have helped popularize the ideas of the "tipping point" and that it takes 10.000 hours of practice to become an expert on a subject, he is not the original researcher/source on the either.

     

    The original text on the 10.000hours of training is an article in Harvard Business Review called "Making of an expert" by K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula and Edward T. Cokely.

     

    (I think we've been over this once before).

     

    Edit: Yup, I even started the old thread What Does It Take To Excel? :)

     

    /Kai

  8. Photos Of Ourselves...

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    I haven't been riding much this year - lots of excuses including vast amounts of rain and a couple of projects on my house taking a lot of 'time' (think $). But I did manage to get out twice in August to the local favourite Ring Knutstorp - and fall both times :unsure:

     

    First time I had the video camera going and it perfectly chronicled my error(s). I'll let you guys sort the errors out: :D

    My computer is playing tricks on me at the moment so this is without laptimer bling.

    I should add that the session before I did a 1:08.86 lap (1.3 seconds faster than my previous record) almost without trying.

     

    Less than 25 days later I have replaced the engine covers and whatnot and go out again. This time without the video camera, so I can't show it.

     

    The fall came on the return lap after getting the chequered flag for the end of the session, at turn 1. T1 is really a quad right turn: 45 degrees, then 90 degrees, and then two smaller turns, but it's taken as a single sweeper (if you get it right, that is). After giving the steering input at the 45 degree, I feel the rear tyre slipping and then very quickly gripping again - highside time! I've never experienced a highsider before (and this was a very small one), but boy - I didn't have a chance to react! Bike didn't get smashed up that bad - just the recently replaced mushrooms got torn off and the left clipon is due for replacement.

     

    I was less lucky: I broke the right wrist, going over the bike ('Fractura radii, extremitas distalis', for the medically inclined). I think what happened is that I hit the wrist on the fairing stay on the way over the bike. Both knees and the left shoulder had a smack as well. Just blue marks but no torn ligaments or broken bones.

     

    Had the wrist x-rayed and got a cast on the arm same day, and were in for a checkup at the hospital friday + at a private hospital for a second opinion later same day. Everything looks OK, and there will not be a need for an operation is the verdict. Cast should go off in the beginning of October and then it's physiotherapy for some time for strength and movement in the joint. That should leave be plenty of time to be fit for the 2012 season B)

  10. Rider Training

    in Articles by Keith

    Posted

    I've been asked this question a hundred times: "What could you possibly be coaching on a rider like ________ , who is already a podium guy at world championship level?" I'm pretty sure my face betrays me because I've never had what I'd call an intelligent answer. But people always expect something really wise, some new or miraculous aspect of riding they'd never thought of before. Of course it never is. It's always something that is, in my mind at least, very simple, very basic, very mundane to the ear but very important to the rider who is struggling with it.

    This reminds me of when I started playing basketball at the club level as a teenager: our coach drilled into our heads that in order to get better, we always had to go back and work on the FUNdamentals. And practising them had to be FUN so he came up with umpteen different ways of practising them :)

     

    I find it interesting but also comforting that world-class riders struggle with the same problems that the mortals like me do, but just on a much much higher/faster level.

    Of course, their perception of grip, throttle control, lean angle etc is vastly better than mine.

     

     

    Kai

  11. Photos Of Ourselves...

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Note that I type this well aware that your speed and skills are much, much higher than mine and that my observations are purepy based upon on-board camera sessions from world class racing. In other words, I should probably just have kept quiet since I do not know form first hand experience how to do things better - or even remotely equally well - compared to you.

     

    But still: From what I can see, you sometimes take some lines that seems like you go in too tight and have to wait too long before you can turn. At least from my point of view; I often found myself picking out a very different line I felt was natural to me compared to where you rode. Also, you seem to be quite late getting on the throttle and also early and quite gentle on the brakes.

     

    BTW - it would be very interesting to get somebody with actual knowledge to comment so that I can learn whether I am wrong, partially or completely.

     

    PS! Congrats on your improvement - that's a big chunk on such a short track B)

    Thanks, Eirik - it's definitely a major step head.

    Your comments are most welcome - remember that observation skills is entirely different from riding skills. I think it was Steve Brouggy (head Aussie coach) who said: "Who would you prefer to learn golf from: Tiger Woods or Tiger's coach?"

     

    You are most likely right on me being a wussie and braking too early :D I'm a little confused about your comment on being "too tight and have to wait too long before you can turn": are you saying I'm too far from the outside curb and turn too late or that I have to wait too long before getting back on the gas?

    As a comparison, here's a video of a former world championships rider (not sure if it's SBK or SSP) running in his new ZX-6R, at the same track - doing 1:01.1 laps :blink:

     

     

    (there's also a

    ).

  14. Photos Of Ourselves...

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Damn Kai, that is an awsome video. Does your mother know you ride like that?

     

    BTW, tell us did you catch that guy at the end? You passed everybody else!

    Thanks Rain. My mother doesn't like bikes in general, so we indulge in the "She doesn't ask, I don't tell" dance :lol:

    Oh, she knows I ride on the track and as long as I don't hurt myself, she's happy.

     

    But did I catch the guy at the end? Frankly, I don't recall. While it looks impressive in the video, I got passed by several other riders, including 2 swedes on their 125cc 2-stroke bikes. I think there was a span from just over 1:50 to just under 2:00 in our group.

     

    While comparing laps with the GPS based laptimer, I've found that even my "consistent" laps (in terms of lap times) aren't that consistent after all. But that's subject for a separate thread later.

     

    Kai

  17. Photos Of Ourselves...

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Pictures from last week at Autodrom Most, Czech Republic.

    Most is a rather technical, although high-speed, track with lots of turn combinations. What surprised me is that it has a height difference of just over 12m (40ft), something I hadn't noticed on the videos I'd seen posted on youtube.

     

    #1 - first day, hence the "3" sticker (I would continue in the "C" group, as there quite a lot of racers at the national level using the event as their training camp). I think this picture is taken in the 2nd chicane, just prior to the hairpin (T7).

     

    #2 - the photographer had some fun with placing a camera on a (very) small tripod and remote control it with a laptop. This is T15, starting blindly (the apex is obscured by the armco) and descends - and makes an double-S combination with T16 and T17

     

    I have some video + GPS/laptimer footage that I'll put up on UT soon(ish).

     

    Kai

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    post-15296-0-15499500-1303851697_thumb.jpg

  19. Securing A Track Bike For Transport

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    As an opposing view:

     

    I am a fan of the ratchet straps and I primarily use the inner lower triple clamp to secure the bike against the interior of my van (wall and cabin). Yes, I could probably blow a fork seal this way but I've done it this way for the last 8 years and never had a problem.

     

    As for the ratchets, I switched to them after having a bike almost fall over using a non-ratchet strap. I ditched all my non-ratchet straps after that and never looked back.

  21. Brake/down

    in Articles by Keith

    Posted

    Any news on the thread for clutchless shifting? I'm happy upshifting without the clutch but am having trouble getting my downshifts smooth.

     

    Ollie

    Ollie,

     

    If you type in "clutchless downshift" the the Search box there in the upper right corner, you'll get 13 threads.

    The thread Clutchless Down Shifting? should give you what you're looking for.

     

    Kai

  25. Choosing Tire Sizes

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    M & P brands make a 180/55 to fit 600cc class bikes with 5.5x17 rims, and do not recommend using their 190/55.

    Just a sidenote here on the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa 190/55 vs 180/55 size on a 5.5" 600cc rim: if you put a 190/55 on a 5.5" rim, you will be unable to use the very edge of the tire: Danish racer Thomas Rebien (whom I'm talking to from time to time) tried this on his YZF-R6 2008 last year in search of higher grip when fully leaned over, but found it did buy him anything.

     

    Thomas is a former winner of the German Yamaha R6-Cup and was by far the fastest Supersports guy not on Dunlops last year (only two other were faster than him by ~1-2 seconds; both on Dunlops NTecs).

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